Dingfelder Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 So, to hear it from this forum and to gather from some youtubes I've watched, riding an EUC can make your leg muscles sore, give you bruises, and make your feet or back or core ache, or some combination of any of the above. Do any of you do warm-up exercises or stretches? Or cool-down ones? Or strength-building exercises just so you can use your EUC more comfortably? Would you recommend any? If you used to get sore but don't any more, what are you doing differently now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I think that a lot of the reduction in soreness has to do with your improvement as a rider. I don't stretch or do any exercises to help, but as I ride more I press my legs against the wheel less, which helps reduced bruising and I move my feet around periodically as I ride, which reduces foot fatigue and cramping. I think you'll also build calf strength the more often you ride which will reduce soreness in your calves. Hope that helps. This has been my experience at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 5 hours ago, Dingfelder said: If you used to get sore but don't any more, what are you doing differently now? I agree with @Maximus... when you get more experience you can ride in many more positions, making it much more comfortable overall. I also stopped sobering up... That seemed to help too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johrhoj Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 My experience: Before I started to ride EUC's, I had lower back complaints. Somehow, they are gone. I gained core stability. Leg muscles get new kind of strains. Especially off roading trains the upper leg muscles, somewhat like skiing does. Standing still for longer time obstructs normal bloodflow in the feet, resulting in that numb, sometimes painful feeling in the feet. The crux here is to let the blood flow by lifting your feet now and then. The more you are comfortable riding, the more you naturally adjust foot position every now and then, or shift weight on them. I think bloodflow to the feet is dependent on footwear, and probably depends on your weight, and (other) genetic predispositions. In my case, in hot weather, I seem to get that numb feeling sooner. And bruises? Yes. those footholds did collide with my ankles in the beginning. No other bruising for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obly Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 When you first get on a EUC, you will feel very unbalanced (unless you have previous experience with unicycles or balance sports, of course). All that soreness in your legs, back, and core you mention are a result of your body fighting physically to try to stay balanced. That and of course the training exercises you do to improve your balance work those muscle groups as well. But just like riding a bike, with enough practice and experience, the job of keeping you balanced is taken over by your autonomic nervous system; it becomes automatic and virtually effortless. Once that happens, you'll find that riding a EUC involves almost no muscle exertion at all, so all the soreness stops (except for your feet... different issue). Which is both good and bad, haha. Good because you'll be able to ride for as long as you can comfortably stand; there's no other kind of endurance you need to build up. Bad because that nice feeling of knowing you burned some calories while doing what you love goes away very quickly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nute Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I think its not unlike skiing. The first few times you do it muscles ache which you didn't even know you had. After you become more at home on skis it takes a lot less muscular effort and the aches just go away. I can ski very quickly for hours now with very little after effects, same with my wheel ... although my feet still hurt a bit after a long ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchet Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Man i just stand and glide, I often joke about how effortless it is to just glide up a hill. I use my core some of course, but I likely look pretty chill sipping a coffee and slouching a bit as I glide along. My feet will get sore after some time, but I'm at the point where I just go where I want to w/o thinking about actually steering or using muscles at all. I think after a month or so you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpong Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Leg muscles and other core balancing muscles firm up over time. I lost 20 pounds the first year I was riding. I was way out of shape before that. I still ride for exercise and recreation. If one is already in excellent shape, then I doubt one would get the benefit that I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 Thanks everyone. I expect soreness, even minor injury. I just hope it doesn't slow me down much. It's such a new thing to me ... I'll have to find out by doing. I think I should start working on more stretches and such now. Couldn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimB Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Hey @Dingfelder, how do you have 329 posts if you're just getting you first EUC now? What am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 Something happened after about a month of riding. Almost overnight the static physical effort lessened to a point where I'm not stiff when I climb off. It is still good training, as I seldom stand straight and stiff, but the pains from over-controlling the EUC went away. But sh*t, I'm afraid I'm going to have a new period of exhaustion, I bought a RW GT16 and it is VERY different from my old twin wheeler... I tried a friends MSuper3 without really getting it, but the heft and feel of my new wheel is much closer to that. I think I have given myself the sort of handicap people talk about for those that always start holding a wall, since mounting a twin wheeler is very different from mounting a true one-wheeler. Once again I'm Bambi experiencing ice for the first time... I doubt it will take as long to familiarise myself with the new wheel though, and I anticipate a lot of fun. The power of the new wheel is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 2 hours ago, JimB said: Hey @Dingfelder, how do you have 329 posts if you're just getting you first EUC now? What am I missing? Tons of research and asking many questions in as much detail as my non-technical mind can comprehend. I acknowledge my ignorance outright and then try to fix it by engaging as much as I can. It's a bit of a crawl and I will never know what many here take for granted. Luckily people here are tolerant and kind. I'm curious and hope I always will be. It's one of the things I admire most about the species. I also just enjoy talking to nice people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 2 minutes ago, Dingfelder said: Tons of research and asking many questions in as much detail as my non-technical mind can comprehend. I acknowledge my ignorance outright and then try to fix it by engaging as much as I can. It's a bit of a crawl and I will never know what many here take for granted. Luckily people here are tolerant and kind. I'm curious and hope I always will be. It's one of the things I admire most about the species. So you're much like me I like learning as much as possible as fast as possible, I even invented a diagnosis for it: Serial Monomania Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpong Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 30 minutes ago, Scatcat said: Serial Monomania Wow! Great term! It is how I have lived my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted May 25, 2017 Share Posted May 25, 2017 37 minutes ago, dpong said: Wow! Great term! It is how I have lived my life. Nothing like it! It helps that I have fly tape in my brain for sh*t I read and hear, sometimes to the point I'd like to have regular doses of brain-bleach to unlearn some sh*t I really, really could do without remembering... But it requires care not to pester those not interested in your mania, and avoid being a besserwisser around those who are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 On 5/25/2017 at 3:32 AM, Scatcat said: So you're much like me I like learning as much as possible as fast as possible, I even invented a diagnosis for it: Serial Monomania Yep, I'm like that. I dive in and obsess. It can mean sometimes you forget to do the laundry or buy groceries, but immersing oneself in a subject tends to make it easier to learn for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scatcat Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 2 hours ago, Dingfelder said: Yep, I'm like that. I dive in and obsess. It can mean sometimes you forget to do the laundry or buy groceries, but immersing oneself in a subject tends to make it easier to learn for me. I'm lucky enough to have found a partner that smiles at my obsessions, rather than get angry at them or ridicule them too badly. In return, I have to remember stuff like cooking/eating, the use of a vacuum-cleaner and so on, tit for tat... like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 On 5/23/2017 at 11:28 PM, Dingfelder said: If you used to get sore but don't any more, what are you doing differently now? Nothing. Just keep riding, and your body will gradually adjust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 On 5/24/2017 at 6:38 PM, Hatchet said: I likely look pretty chill sipping a coffee and slouching a bit as I glide along. I often have a similar thought when I see Duf riding with coffee in one hand and a selfie stick in the other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 33 minutes ago, MaxLinux said: I often have a similar thought when I see Duf riding with coffee in one hand and a selfie stick in the other! That's my vision of things for me ... not Mr. Excitement, but Mr. Casual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fat Unicyclist Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 44 minutes ago, Dingfelder said: That's my vision of things for me ... not Mr. Excitement, but Mr. Casual. I often read a newspaper while riding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted June 6, 2017 Author Share Posted June 6, 2017 1 hour ago, The Fat Unicyclist said: I often read a newspaper while riding... That sounds excellent. Maybe smoking a pipe, in a Mr. Rogers sweater, or perhaps in my slippers and pajamas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kasenutty Posted June 6, 2017 Share Posted June 6, 2017 I've begun carrying a chess board and playing myself as I ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxLinux Posted June 7, 2017 Share Posted June 7, 2017 15 hours ago, Dingfelder said: Maybe smoking a pipe I smiled when I saw jrkline enjoying a smoke during the testing session when he visited KS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingfelder Posted June 7, 2017 Author Share Posted June 7, 2017 1 hour ago, kasenutty said: I've begun carrying a chess board and playing myself as I ride. I was thinking a ride would be a good time to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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